:yay: :cb: :dance: :cheers:

My little health fairy - "Yaseen Mahboobs" :mag: is over the top happy - as are we - that you got a clean bill of health there Miss Shaddy. What an ORDEAL! Physically and mentally. Still that is wonderful to get a definite outcome. Which reminds me, I came across an old medical report from my doctor. It said my boobs were completely fatty. I brought it up with my doctor the last time. She started laughing and said yep, that is one place you want all fat. You don't want dense breasts - those tend to be the ones that hide fibroids and all sorts of other woes. I hope the rest of your reports come out just as clean. Still sending you good wishes :crossed:

Yesterday's art class was fun. The teacher is a nut and very encouraging. Only 4 of us in class - 2 of the ladies do watercolor art and you could see what a better developed eye they have for drawing but... they were fun, no judging, no intimidation. I brought the spiced pumpkin soup chef gave me and shared with my friend. We both thought it leaned a bit too far on the hot spicy - would have liked him to develop the sweet flavor of the butternut squash a bit more. Bingo was uneventful - no one complained, no malfunctions. Another occasional helper came out and he was the bomb checking bingos and just a big help all around. No one won the jackpot which surprised me. Next week will be interesting - the jackpot will be over $700 and Thursday night football will feature the (Chicago) Bears and the (Wisconsin/Green Bay) Packers. Big rivalry. I'd like to think of something fun to do that night. I'm not sure if the bingo players are also football fans and if that would keep them home watching the game that night. I am feeling a bit sluggish this morning - knee is bothering me and I am having some residual tummy effects from the medication. Even though I ate an apple yesterday and the pumpkin soup had it's share of veggies - I have not been eating the amount of fiber I need to in order to counteract the medication side effects. Ugh.

Laura - to your question with the smartphone I am pleasantly surprised. I only get one bar at home so the phone reception for calls is terrible - the calls break up and you can barely hear. But the good news is even with only one bar I get texts just fine and can use some of the apps on the phone. DH set up one inside light and all the outside lights on this app called Kasa. Kind of like a blue tooth light switch which allows us to turn lights on and off from our phone. And we don't even have to be nearby to do it - ie. we can be driving home and turn the yard lights on miles from home which is very convenient, especially with winter early darkness approaching. Last night the UPS man came around 8pm - gosh they put in a super long day. Our yard is a bit of a hazard with all the construction equipment - trailers, dumpsters, piles of debris and 2 cars. I was happy that I could turn on the floodlights on the mancave with a touch of a button from inside the house so he could see better to maneuver that big brown box of a truck they drive. We are both quite happy with our phones. I found a good online video of how to use it - just need to sit down and watch it. We have to head out shortly - the wind picked up some debris from the construction dumpster and scratched the front hood of our 4Runner. DH said it's a minor fix - just some buffing out so we have to take it to the body shop this morning. That poor car just has bad juju when it comes to body damage, although I told DH that my Avalon has so many dinks and dimples and scratches that it's getting jealous that the other car is cosmetically perfect :rofl:

Laura - how is the house selling going for your Mom's place? Does she have it actively on the market now? I take it that she is trying to get rid of stuff in anticipation of moving. I don't blame you for not wanting big ticket stuff - very hard to move. My Mom has some furniture too including an indestructible custom made couch and loveseat she ordered many years ago. She has asked my sister and I if we want it and although it's pretty - neither of us have room for it either. I guess it might be depressing to have things you like in your home and then no one wants them. :( Sorry you had to freeze on the way home. This is the unsettling time of year where you have to bundle up in the morning and then sweat on the way home although I'd prefer that to when the temps drop unexpectedly like you had. Brrrrrrr.... hope you had a hot tea when you got home.

Annie - I'm in the same boat as you - met my deductibles and I thought the maximums yet I still seem to be paying out the whazootie for things. I wrote out 8 checks last week and only one was for a non medical purpose. :dizzy: I am starting to embrace veggie wraps and veggie pizzas also. Good for you and tastes great - less tummy repercussions too. Are you totally immersed at work now? Feel like you were never off? How is the foot holding up? Is trudging more on the boot bothering you? As for cooking class - we don't actually cook ourselves - he gives us recipes, prepares the dishes and we get to ask questions as he goes along - he encourages dialogue and gives us tips as he is preparing the meal. We had pan seared (a new technique for me) littleneck clams and pasta in an Asian black bean sauce, grilled trout over beet greens with a nice vinaigrette and a blueberry compote (was supposed to be salmon but he said the salmon did not look good enough to him when he went shopping). We also had a pan seared pork tenderloin with a veggie melody and a light dijon sauce. I was sort of sad he skipped the salmon fritters but as he said, the salmon wasn't looking that great although we do have the recipe. He likes his spice, I think you would enjoy a lot of what he makes. My knee doesn't really bother me that much driving although there is a part in the fold under the knee that rests on the car seat and puts a bit of pressure on it which is why I would not drive more than 20 minutes or so at a time. What about you? You must be driving if you are back at work. Which foot got operated on? I know what you mean about "work clothes". I can't wear denim or khakis yet - it rubs uncomfortably on the scar so I am wearing stretchy old lady / yoga pants. I know once I try and put something on with a zipper I will feel confined even though I have lost weight. :lol:

I should get off the computer now. I have to write some checks out so I can drop them off at the post office when we drop the car off. I also need to make out the bank deposit for bingo and that takes a while to put together. DH wants to leave in about 40 minutes and I have to get dressed too although I am not fussing with anything - getting man dressed - shirt, pants, sweater and run a quick comb through my messy hair :lol:

Have a good one ladies.

Morning all. Happy Friday. Another chilly start to the day, but it’s nice and sunny.

Shad – Yay for the good news. :hat: :cb:

Happy – I’m glad you had a good day with the art class and a non-eventful bingo session. == Nice that the phone is working out for you. The app for the lights sounds cool. We have an app from which we control our thermostat and I love that. == That poor car is just a magnet for damage. :( === Yes, my mom’s house is still on the market and she’s had several showings. As for the move, I believe the mover will already be making 2 stops, since my sister is taking a heavy bedroom set. Yes, I’m sure what you described is the case here – sad to be getting rid of items she likes and that no one else in the family wants. :( I gave in and said I’d take my mom’s St. Francis garden statue even though it’s not my kind of thing. My mom really likes it but thinks she’ll have no room for it in her new place. Well, she has a valid point because she’ll have no garden and I suppose it might look silly on the tiny balcony she’ll have. We’ll see. === Wow, I’ve probably only written 8 checks this entire year to date…just don’t use them much anymore.

Hellos to the rest of you!
==
Slept the night through last night, but woke up groggy anyway. Feeling awake by now though. Maybe it’s the late sunrises these days.

Nothing much to report in my world, so I’ll just get this posted.

Have a good weekend everyone.

This will be short. I'm getting ready to go to my sister's condo and spend the night with her. The repair guys were here for a while this morning to tear out the floor where most of the water was and put fans and a humidifier down. They make a lot of noise.
Thunder woke me up early this morning. Was going to mow the lawn today but will wait till tomorrow. The grass is still wet.
I'm self diagnosing but I pretty sure that I'm having diverticulitis with some episodes of diverticulosis. Before I signed up with Humana I had to have a name of a doctor so I chose the one closer to me. Think I will call Monday and make an appointment as it's getting time for refills and blood work.

Happy
I see you are getting back to your normal lifestyle with the bingo etc. Don't over do though.

Annie
Good for you in meeting you deductible and getting a small bill. Thought about you Wednesday when I talked to a Humana rep about Medicare advantage.

Laura
Hope that trip in the rain hasn't made you sick. I hate that when it happens to me. Hope your mom's house sells quickly so she can make a move before the winter weather sets in.

Shad
Good news for you. Hope all the test come back with good news.

Good morning,

A dreary, droopy morning out there today - very overcast, gray and windy. But it's an unusual 60 degrees out there which is warmer than it should be this time of year. The gusts are blowing the leaves out of the trees. We are past peak for autumn colors. And those rotting leaves are also bringing out my seasonal allergy sniffles. Both of those things remind me that autumn is here and on it's last hurrah before the winter chills set in. We're supposed to go hunt down some lights for the outside buildings. I really don't feel like shopping - I did alot of running around with errands yesterday and I was on my feet a bit too much and I am still hurting for it today. I even passed up going out to dinner last night. But it's something we have to get done. I also need to get outside and get my garden pulled up and packed away for the winter. If I don't I will have a weed bed with rotten vegetables in it and who wants that :eek: There are several repairs that need to be done at the thrift shop as well as some I.T. type help at the shelter. DH is irritated right now at a situation and has more than enough of his own work to do so he is refusing to help right now. He is also beyond irritated with the latest door. The newest steel one from a different vendor - it's not finished correctly, the blinds in the windows are sticking and don't work right. It all adds up to really lousy craftsmanship and the vendor doesn't really care at all - says he will show up and doesn't. Ah well... :shrug:

Ceejay - yikes that was quite an accident with the water damage. I hope they can make it "like it never happened". Enjoy the night with your sister.

Laura - nice of you to take the St. Francis statue. Put it in a corner of the yard. I'm sure it meant alot to Mom that it didn't get trashed. I think I'd really like that app that controls the thermostat - even tho I am most home to control it now :rofl: I agree with you - cool nights and cool mornings, the sun rising later - all contribute to the morning fog. I hate to get out of bed when the room is chilly and the covers are nice and warm!

That's about all the time I have. DH will start his nagging soon about being ready on time even though he woke me up 30 minutes later than what I asked. Have a good weekend everyone.

Evening,
I had a good time with sis and bil last night. I got to the condo and let myself in. I text my sis to let her know that I was there. We went to Olive Garden and then shopping for flooring and back splash material. I'm getting to decorate. I didn't realize it but I've chosen a laminate that's almost like the one they had down. I really like it. And I was happy with the laminate that was already here.
Today I've mowed the front yard and weed whacked the edges. Looks so much better. Took me 39 minutes so I got my exercise today. I will do the back on Monday.
My insurance claims rep called me while I was in Branson and tried to cancel the claim and I held my ground and told her that I was told that they would pay my landlords deductible she put it in a liability claim. She was new. The insurance people here had already talked to my sis, who is my landlord, and told her this.

--------
Happy
I hope you are getting enough rest for you knee. Sounds like DH has his hands full.

Laura
I'm glad you took the statue. Like Happy mentioned you can always put it in the garden.

More later, I'm getting sleepy. These fans are loud. I found my head phones that the ENT wanted me to wear at work and they are helping to drown out the noise.

Morning all.

Ceejay - Will you be staying in the condo until the floor and back splash are Installed? Glad you enjoyed your evening in Branson. Hope the diverticulitis isn't causing you much grief.

Happy - Hope the lights shopping went alright, and that you got your garden removed yesterday. It doesn't take long for the weather to go from pleasant to nasty. No one wants to be outside in nasty weather.

Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies. Hope you're all having a good weekend, or had one.

==
I wrote up a post yesterday but lost it - that expired token thing. I didn't get that until I tried to post from the tablet...but I'm giving it a go again because it's easier than typing on the cell phone.

It was dreary here yesterday too, but mild and breezy and no rain until well after I went to bed.

I slothed away the morning yesterday and then got myself out in the yard to tear out the veggie garden. I actually left the Serrano pepper plants and the Thai basil plant in but removed the tomato plants and the weed cloth. I picked a bunch more peppers and left the plants in place to see if these next few mild/warm days will bring in a few more mature peppers for me.-there are still many small ones one the plants.

I also emptied the flower pots and planted my poor fern that spent the whole season in the pot I bought it in. Better late than never...

Didn't do much else yesterday - lunch at the middle eastern place, stops at the market and home Depot. Watched the whole ball game, yay for a win for the cubbies.

Going by my sister's house this afternoon to plan for my mom's move.

That's it for me, so hopefully I'll get this posted without mishap. :crossed:

Laura
I understand about those dreaded you can not post things. Sounds like you had a productive week end.

Happy
I'm not ready for the winter weather either. But I'm enjoying my fall weather. I'm excited to get to see all the tree's turning without making a special trip from Arkansas to Missouri to see the changes.

Laura
I will probably just stay at the condo until the flooring is down. They have to move all the furniture and I will not have a bed to sleep in. We did pick out a back splash at Lowe's last night and the flooring. I didn't plan on picking the same floor as is down now but that's mainly what I did. The flooring is gunstock oak. It may be a little lighter but not much.

Hello's to the rest.

-------
I'm going to call and make an appointment with a doctor tomorrow but I was hoping to get the supplemental insurance card before I did. It's the nausea that I can't handle.
I knew that they would be tearing up the floor soon so I got every thing out of the living room. It was my understanding that the kitchen and living room would be done first. I put every thing in the two spare bedrooms. Now my sis tells me that she's going to go ahead and do the bedrooms as well and get it all done at the same time. I'm now hustling to get things put in the bathroom and the master bathroom closets. I will still have to put some things in the garage. I feel like I've packed up and moved again. Then there will be the unpacking later. What fun!

I am over the moon that Shad's boobies are cancer free!!!!!

:carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::c arrot:

Shad, you sure have been put through the wringer with all those tests. I believe that the bleeding you have been having is not a period but rather from fibroids as I have been there myself. The hysterectomy took care of all that. I believe all will be well as you have surgery and such. I'm still praying for you sister!

I have read the rest of the posts but can't remember everything I wanted to comment on so I'll just move forward from here.

Work was nuts last week as I am still training the Admin, but I think this week I will let her do what she can on her own and ask her to come to me when she gets stuck on something and let her work independently.

The offsite summit I was supporting was on Thursday so that is done and over with. Also, two Executive Assistant roles are posted and one I am being heavily sought after to apply for it. I submitted my application for it tonight. There is another one at another site (where I would love to go back to) and I'm considering throwing my hat in the ring for it too. I am waffling because the manager can be a bit difficult or so I have heard, but I like to make my own decision about that sort of thing and could only do that by applying and seeing if I get an interview.

These roles would be a promotion for me and exactly what I seek in my career with my company....to support VP's and Presidents.

I am heading to bed...see you all tomorrow.

Good Monday Morning!


Went to bed early last night in hopes of catching up on sleep. I was VERY tired yesterday and could hardly stay awake. My son came home for the weekend. Sis went and picked him up on Friday night and I took him back yesterday. That was a long TIRING ride. Hour to get there and hour back, plus we stopped on the way at Kohl's so he could purchase and new shirt and tie to match the wedding he is going to officiate on Saturday. Nice he has a job now and can pay for everything on his own. AMEN. He got a charcoal gray Van Hausen shirt for 20 bucks and a lovely time in charcoal/light grays with turquoise paisley design on it. Very pretty. The theme is jeans for pants. Yes it is out in the sticks where we used to live. Probably in a barn. lol.


We had Jacob's 5th birthday party Saturday. It was small, as none of my family could make it. It was just us, friends and my son. I made chili with all the trimmings, chopped onion, shredded cheese, sour cream and oyster crackers, sis made cupcakes. We also served chips with gauc and salsa. It was quite a nice time with a small gathering in a rather limited space. (My house is only 1366 sq ft) Which was very nice when it was just me and C. Now it feels like 366 sq.ft. :) and getting smaller.


SUSIE...oh how exciting, I hope you get the position/promotion you applied for as you certainly deserve it. You are such a hard working woman. I admire you. Fingers crossed the new admin catches on quickly. Is she from within the company or new to the company?


LAURA...could you come and clean up my little garden that produced nothing, probably because I could not give it the attention it needed. I think next year I am not going to do a garden. Just don't have the time nor interested enough to put the effort into it. We will see. The plan of attack on momma's house. It will be challenging as it was my parent's house. Good luck.


HAPPY...That dang door. I would be beyond frustrated with everything and probably crying a lot. Our weather is halfway decent here. We are supposed to have 80s this week, unusual, but I will take it. The leaves just started barely turning this past week. Jacob said, "look at the leaves, finally it is FALL BREAK" Kids, love to hear them talk. How is the knee doing? Swelling? My ankle has taken on swelling on a regular daily basis. Of course, my doc said that would happen. Just two weeks till I go back to see if I can get out of this boot. Hope I don't walk with a limp. Glad you enjoyed art class and cooking class. You do such fun stuff.


CEEG...what a mess on the flooring project. Hope all gets done quickly and you can settle in even more. So far sounds like you are enjoying your retirement. Just what you needed.


Must get to work, boy talk about job security with all this stuff that didn't get done while I was away. Oh boy!


HELLOs to SHADDIE, CHELLE, DEE.


Love and Hugs

Morning,
I'm clearing out the bedrooms this morning. This afternoon I'm going to mow the back yard. I was hoping they would come this morning to finish tearing out the floor. But if they don't it will give me more time to get the things done.

------
Susie
I wish you the best of luck with the new positions you are applying for. I know you would be an asset.

Annie
I think small family gathering for birthday's are more fun for the little ones, even adults for that matter. Glad you got to visit with your son. I really am enjoying my retirement, my house and my location.

Guess my small break is over. I need to get back to my jobs. I will be glad when things are completed.

Morning all.

Ceejay –Your flooring situation reminds me a little bit of when bf and I moved into our house. We removed all the carpet and thought the hardwood floors underneath looked pretty good and would be fine with just a good cleaning. It wasn’t until we’d moved our furniture in that we decided they really needed to be sanded and refinished. We ended up moving everything into the garage (and probably the kitchen and 3-season room) and sleeping in the basement while the floors were refinished. Nothing like moving everything twice! Take it easy and don’t overdo it with the re-moving and the lawn mowing.

Susie – Hope the new admin can do a lot of her work without handholding now that she’s been trained. How exciting to have two internal opportunities arise in which you are interested. Why are you keen on working at the other site? Is it closer to home, shorter/easier commute? It was just announced that our company is over halfway through our current office lease and options are being explored. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t move out of the central downtown area close to the commuter train stations and other mass transit options, so it would likely just be a matter of blocks if we did move to another building.

Annie – Sounds like an ultra-busy weekend for you. How nice your son is officiating at a wedding – he must be close to the couple, or does he have a calling which I wasn’t aware of? ;) I thought his field was plumbing… Happy birthday to little J. I’m glad you enjoyed the small gathering and I’m sure it was much less stressful than something big! ===Re the garden – I still have other parts of pre-winter cleanup to do in our front and back yards. That kind of project is not bad though – easier than planting and weeding. And in the fall the weeds don’t stress me out since I know they will be killed by a frost in the near future. In the spring, I find it stressful because everything starts growing and going wild and the amount of labor seems overwhelming. I totally understand re losing interest in the veg garden – that happens to me a lot and this year I was pretty happy to be tearing out the tomato plants!

Hellos to the rest of you!!

==

Discussing my moms move with my sister yesterday was helpful. I hope we can set a date quickly and then the rest will hopefully fall into place somewhat easily – mover, flights, etc.. I’m thankful to have enough vacation time left to use for this project. I do need to use quite a bit before the end of the year – 12 days – but I was saving it for this very purpose. I’m taking a vacation day this Friday, so that leaves 11 days. The max I can carry over to the following year is 5 days, so this will work out well.

Okay, I’ll get this posted and get back to earning my pay. TTFN.

Morning all,

Sorry to be MIA so much but things just keep snowballing around here and I am truly over this medical thing. Yesterday was prep day for the colonoscopy and I sat in that very uncomfortable waiting room in what felt like forever but was actually 1&1/2 hours to see the nurse for the prep stuff. Friday I go back to the hospital for blood tests and then on Monday is the laproscopy operation. A week or so after that is the actual colonoscopy (depending on what is done on Monday) and then a follow up to that and I am done. I'm hoping for another 30 year reprieve from all things medical after that.

My lovely neighbour had a fall the other day and she is quite shaken up. It broke her glasses and damaged her nose. So now she has 2 black eyes and a purple nose. No doubt it will fade in time but in the meantime it looks like she has gone 2 rounds with Muhammad Ali.

Weather here has been delightful. Tomatoes are ripening everywhere and the vegetables are shooting up. We had a storm yesterday afternoon and that will hasten along the ripening/ growing process. We've eaten a lot of the lettuces and I will need to get some more plants today to ensure we have plenty to eat in the next few months. All too soon the heat will come and then we will be complaining again.

ODDU is maturing rapidly. Still does some mad things but so far the plastics in the house have been safe from him for a week or two. He is learning to adapt to people coming to the house and hasn't eaten the postman in weeks or tried to, although he always barks at him. Last night was funny as he had an eye on the cheese I had out for my afternoon tea. Since he is such a big dog, he can slide his nose on the table without having to stretch or jump. There was the nose just at the edge of the table (not touching the table just hovering above it since he knows he is not to get on the table) and these pleading eyes. The nose inched closer to the piece of cheese I had on the edge of the plate and the tongue was going in an out like a snake. He's obviously worked out that if he manages to make contact with that tongue then his human will not eat the food. Ratbag.

Susie - good luck with the job shift. Only way to find out if you would suit a different job is to do the interview and check out the people. Always a difficult decision and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. How is the DH going now?

Laura - good luck with getting your Mum closer to moving and selling the house. Always a problem to deal with what is trash and what is treasure in someone else's house. The things my mother kept and loved were not always to my taste or my siblings and a lot of the stuff would not have fitted in my place anyway. A lot of it is still boxed up at my sisters house and she needs to sort through it and put it on e-bay or Gumtree or Trademe and make a bit of cash out of it.

Ceejay - you seem to be falling into the retirement lifestyle very well always busy as a beaver.

Annie - I know exactly what you mean about the house being too small. Mine is just the same. Add 3 adults, 1 large dog and 2 cats and we overflow the little house. Put a bit of a party on and you spill out over the patio, in the garden and all around the place. I don't want a great big house but a couple of extra square feet would be nice at times. Mind you I would probably complain about the cleaning if I had that extra space.

Happy - I can understand the DH's feelings completely. You've had to deal with a lot of poor workmanship, bad work practices and sheer neglect with a lot of things lately. I would be horribly hacked off with that darned door saga. It's not that difficult to put in a door for gods sakes. And the fact that that they are pre manufacturing complete to the frame work should make things a breeze to install. Lack of due diligence, China's refusal to measure things and poor quality control added to the don't care attitude of workers just compounds the way we are being forced to live these days. Once all this is done, you won't be wanting to change anything for years to come.
So glad you are enjoying your art classes and the cooking classes. I don't understand the thing with spices and chilies in cooking right now. I hate food that has been so 'heated' up that you can't taste what you are eating as the spices have killed the taste buds off.

So today I am going to catch up on what I didn't get done yesterday (sitting in a surgery waiting room doesn't do much for the housework) put on a load or two of washing (never an empty laundry basket in this place) and go to the local hardware and garden store and pick up some bits from there. I've a load of stuff to repot as well so I should be kept busy for much of the day. Oh and I better check on my neighbours as well - they are likely to go out of control if I don't :rofl:

So on with the day. Have a good one.

Good afternoon kiddos,

I was just not into "being" this morning. Being anything. Felt crummy, got warm, 2 minutes later I had the chills, then warm again. Ack. My throat was sort and my tummy was just feeling yucky. I did some laundry and around 11 decided I didn't feel well enough to go to therapy today so I cancelled it. They are expecting me to go help with some tech stuff at the shelter and I wasn't up to that either. They are having problems but some of them they caused themselves - or at least one person did. And then there is the whole thing about being too cheap to put out the money they need to in order to run the business. It adds up to some very big frustrations. I really do need DH's help as I am more analytical than technical. I can figure out the software but I am all thumbs with the hardware side of things and some internals on the pc set up. DH is obviously up to his eyeballs in home things and has no interest in helping. I also think it's interesting that the more I have been away (and less I have been doing) - the less I hear from people. Hmmm... I am trying not to draw any conclusions here as that would not be beneficial to anyone :chin: Anyway I was not up to leaving the house today so I didn't. Like Annie, I am finding that my leg is swelling on a regular basis - not alot, but enough to cause pain and stiffness. Not sure why. I did sit in the recliner, slap on a big ice pack, turned on my portable heater (to counteract the ice chill :lol: ) and I fell asleep for about 2 or 3 hours. That was even WITH them banging and drilling and sawing and pounding right on the other side of the wall :rofl: I guess I was tired. I am kind of at odds with the whole sleep thing - I think the pain pills make me want to sleep longer but when I go to bed at 10, I wake up around 1:30 and am up from then until about 4 or 5 when I finally pass out until about 8. So I tried going to sleep later - around 1 when I am just about falling asleep walking. I do tend to sleep through the night but wake up around 6 when DH gets up and that only gives me about 5 hours - was plenty enough when I was well, now - not. Yikes...

Ceejay - you are going to have practically a brand spankin' new fabulously remodelled house to live in. So much work to be done. Hope they can finish it quickly. This does seem to be a very good decision for you. Just a bummer that you have to double pack. I guess you can enjoy autumn now and then go make a trip back to see the uncles and enjoy it all over again as they are fairly late with the leaf colors.

Laura - we had shag carpeting when we bought the house in AH. Tore it out because the previous owners let their dogs pee all over it. We were surprised to find wood floors too but ours needed so much work (and like you we had the furniture all in) that we just decided to carpet over everything. I always regretted it. I hope you can get your Mom moved and all tucked into a new place before the dead of winter hits. Is her move dependent on her house selling? I hope you try for a promotion if you are going to stay at your company - sounds like you have enough time invested, why leave now for the unknown. Always scary to hear they are looking for different office space. One of my former companies (on Michigan and Randolph) got bought out and they didn't want to spend the high office rent on Michigan ave so they moved them up north by where Cabrini Green used to be :yikes: Not the most awful area but it was an additional bus ride from the suburban train and not the area you'd want to be around in much after. Another place (2 months after I started) moved from the old Northwestern Train station building to Woodstock!!!! I had to quit that job and boy was I mad. I hope you just move a few streets over like you say...

Annie - barn weddings are in vogue now, don't you know? :rofl: It was nice of you to pick up DS and bring him over and help him to look "official" :D I think the idea of the chili party is a great one. Why do alot of fussing when you don't have the time, the money or the energy for it? I'm sure everyone had a great time. My house in Chicago was like yours - enough room where 2 people could get away from each other but totally not suited to entertaining. I was actually rather fortunate - we had a cat that everyone was allergic to (even me) so I never had to host family holiday meals. I just brought 3 times the food I was supposed to in order to make up for it. As for you being tired - that's a big change both physically and mentally to go from recuperating to back to the crazy work life. Make sure you don't short change yourself on rest. I am chastising my self for being lazy because I don't honestly feel like anything - don't feel like cooking (although I pulled out Chicago Italian beef and gravy and home made coleslaw or spaghetti and Italian sausage and garlic bread and salad - a Portillo's feast). DH is excited about it - I'm like meh. I have projects I should get back to - meh. Never did read those stacks of magazines or books or coloring books I set aside - meh. What is wrong? I am trying to wean off the pain pills but not having much luck as I think they are a part of the problem along with it getting dark and cold as the seasons change. Anyway blah, blah. blah about me. Talk about hijacking a thread :rolleyes: Is I do hope that they missed you at work while you were gone and realize what a goldmine they have in you for an employee. Do you feel like crawling under your desk after lunch and taking "just a LITTLE nap?"

Susie - I hope that you apply for both jobs as you seem to be very well qualified and can handle anything they throw at you including a demanding boss. How worse can it be than the often last minute miracles you were expected to pull off??? Good luck and go for it!

I think we all sort of lost collective interest in the garden this year. We are going to have to recruit a new person for the commune (although I think Shad will step in as a gardener) or we will go awfully hungry :rofl:

Always next year, eh?

Ah well - better go decide what I am going to heat up as DH will be in soon tired and hungry and ask that question every woman hates - what's for supper????

Good Morning....not much happening here in Indy.


Just watched the sun come up over the horizon from another office. It was so beautiful. How can anyone not believe in a higher power? WOW!


Last night was pretty calm. Dinner was grilled cheeseburgers, fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and butternut squash steamed<--got it all from the market. Also broccoli cheddar rice. Quite tasty. Did a little laundry and was off to bed. I tell you the washer, dryer, and fridge are taking a beating with all of us, including Sassy's bedding that switch out daily then have to do a load once I have enough.


My ankle and foot took a beating yesterday. Was up for a bit last night in a little pain. Took some ibuprofen (shouldn't due to heart and meds) but needed something to take the edge off so I could get back to sleep. Aleve just does not cut it. Hopefully today will be a better day.


LAURA...if you truly do not know what to do with the St. Francis garden statue, I would take it off of your hands. I really like them. I now have one that belonged to my dad on my front porch, it came with Samantha, it is hers, but since she is living with me.....at least till she EVER moves out. We must have the same plan on PTO. We can only carry over max 5 days also. Believe it or not, I may have a few days to carry over. Then will have to take those 5 by end of March. Wish they would just accumulate, rather than lose them.


HAPPY...During my recovery I had some of those not being days. Matter of fact I didn't even take my shower til late evening for the day. Just didn't feel like it, and it was such a hoopala in the beginning to even take a shower. You do what you need to do to feel better and if it is just lounging around, then so be it. Hugs. Yeah food was not very important or exciting while I was off either. Lost 2 lbs, while doing a whole bunch of nothing. I would love to crawl under my desk and disappear for a bit, or even take a small siesta in my car with the seat lower back. hmmm. Ideas!


SHADDIE...I feel for you. Not looking forward to your laproscopy on Monday. I mean, who really does look forward to surgery? Altho, I will admit, I don't mind staying in the hospital at all. They wait on you hand and foot, meals brought to you and I have been fortunate enough not to be in a noisy ward to often. Is your surgery outpatient? Cute story about ODDU. Too cute! Take it all in grandma. lol. Aww you sweet neighbor lady. Prayers for her.


WOW CEEG...you are a power house lately. Cutting grass, traveling, exploring, packing, unpacking, packing. You go girl!


Hello to all, SUSIE, CHELLE, DEE..


Make it a great day...Hugs.

The train can't come soon enough. There's a truck pumping up sewage right across the street and the stench is just awful!